The Land (song)
Encyclopedia
The Land is a protest song
, traditionally sung by the Georgist
movement in the United Kingdom
in pursuit and promotion of land value tax
ation. Until the late 1970s it was sung at the end of each year's Liberal Assembly
and was the party anthem of the Liberal Party
until that party merged with the SDP
to form the Liberal Democrats. To this day it remains the de facto anthem of the Liberal Democrats, is sung as the first song of the Liberal Democrats Glee Club
and is the party anthem of the continuity Liberal Party. During the chorus, the phrase 'ballot in our hand' is accompanied by the collective waving of any paper to hand (usually a liberator song book) by the audience.
'The Land Song' is widely regarded as among the most rousing of political anthems. The former leader of the British Labour Party, Michael Foot
, recalled to the BBC World Service how he heard - and learned - the song while growing up in a Liberal household in the west of England. Foot said it was the best political song he had come across, imbued with the democratic spirit, and designed to put fear in the hearts of the landlords.
The song became a Liberal radical anthem in the aftermath of David Lloyd George
's "people's budget" of 1909 which proposed a tax in land. During the two general elections of the following year, 'The Land Song' became the governing Liberals' campaign song. Sheet music was published, and a 78rpm disc released of the song - the audio http://www.andrewwhitehead.net/the-land-song.html of which is now available on the internet. A recording made at a Glee Club around 1990 has been deposited at the Centre for Political Song at Glasgow Caledonian University. Michael Foot's commentshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/pol_song.shtml about the song, and snatches of the song itself, featured in a series on political song broadcast on 'The World Today' on the BBC World Service - the entire series is now held by the British Library Sound Archive
.
.)
Sound the call for freedom boys, and sound it far and wide,
March along to victory, for God is on our side,
While the voice of nature thunders o'er the rising tide:
"God gave the land to the people."
Chorus
The land, the land,
'Twas God who made the land,
The land, the land,
The ground on which we stand,
Why should we be beggars
With a ballot in our hand?
God gave the land to the people.
Hark! The sound is spreading from the east and from the west!
Why should we work hard and let the landlords take the best?
Make them pay their taxes on the land just like the rest!
The land was meant for the people.
Chorus
Clear the way for liberty, the land must all be free,
None of us shall falter from the fight tho' stern shall be.
'Til the flag we love so well shall fly from sea to sea,
O'er the land that is free for the people.
Chorus
The army now is marching on, the battle to begin,
The standard now is raised on high to face the battle din,
We'll never cease from fighting 'til the victory we win,
And the land is free for the people.
Chorus
Protest song
A protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs . It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre...
, traditionally sung by the Georgist
Georgism
Georgism is an economic philosophy and ideology that holds that people own what they create, but that things found in nature, most importantly land, belong equally to all...
movement in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in pursuit and promotion of land value tax
Land value tax
A land value tax is a levy on the unimproved value of land. It is an ad valorem tax on land that disregards the value of buildings, personal property and other improvements...
ation. Until the late 1970s it was sung at the end of each year's Liberal Assembly
Liberal Assembly
The Liberal Assembly was the annual party conference of the British Liberal Party before its merger with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the Liberal Democrats; the name is still used by the continuity Liberal Party created as its replacement...
and was the party anthem of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
until that party merged with the SDP
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
to form the Liberal Democrats. To this day it remains the de facto anthem of the Liberal Democrats, is sung as the first song of the Liberal Democrats Glee Club
Glee Club (Liberalism)
The Glee Club is a traditional event in the Liberal Assembly and UK Liberal Democrat party conference, consisting of a public singing around a piano. It is one of the most popular fringe events in British politics and was a formative event in the lives of many British political leaders, allegedly...
and is the party anthem of the continuity Liberal Party. During the chorus, the phrase 'ballot in our hand' is accompanied by the collective waving of any paper to hand (usually a liberator song book) by the audience.
'The Land Song' is widely regarded as among the most rousing of political anthems. The former leader of the British Labour Party, Michael Foot
Michael Foot
Michael Mackintosh Foot, FRSL, PC was a British Labour Party politician, journalist and author, who was a Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1955 and from 1960 until 1992...
, recalled to the BBC World Service how he heard - and learned - the song while growing up in a Liberal household in the west of England. Foot said it was the best political song he had come across, imbued with the democratic spirit, and designed to put fear in the hearts of the landlords.
The song became a Liberal radical anthem in the aftermath of David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
's "people's budget" of 1909 which proposed a tax in land. During the two general elections of the following year, 'The Land Song' became the governing Liberals' campaign song. Sheet music was published, and a 78rpm disc released of the song - the audio http://www.andrewwhitehead.net/the-land-song.html of which is now available on the internet. A recording made at a Glee Club around 1990 has been deposited at the Centre for Political Song at Glasgow Caledonian University. Michael Foot's commentshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/pol_song.shtml about the song, and snatches of the song itself, featured in a series on political song broadcast on 'The World Today' on the BBC World Service - the entire series is now held by the British Library Sound Archive
British Library Sound Archive
The British Library Sound Archive in London, England is one of the largest collections of recorded sound in the world, including music, spoken word and ambient recordings....
.
Lyrics
(To the tune of Marching Through GeorgiaMarching Through Georgia
"Marching Through Georgia" is a marching song written by Henry Clay Work at the end of the American Civil War in 1865. It refers to U.S. Maj. Gen...
.)
Sound the call for freedom boys, and sound it far and wide,
March along to victory, for God is on our side,
While the voice of nature thunders o'er the rising tide:
"God gave the land to the people."
Chorus
The land, the land,
'Twas God who made the land,
The land, the land,
The ground on which we stand,
Why should we be beggars
With a ballot in our hand?
God gave the land to the people.
Hark! The sound is spreading from the east and from the west!
Why should we work hard and let the landlords take the best?
Make them pay their taxes on the land just like the rest!
The land was meant for the people.
Chorus
Clear the way for liberty, the land must all be free,
None of us shall falter from the fight tho' stern shall be.
'Til the flag we love so well shall fly from sea to sea,
O'er the land that is free for the people.
Chorus
The army now is marching on, the battle to begin,
The standard now is raised on high to face the battle din,
We'll never cease from fighting 'til the victory we win,
And the land is free for the people.
Chorus
See also
- Liberator (magazine)Liberator (magazine)Liberator is a radical liberal United Kingdom magazine associated with but not officially connected to the Liberal Democrats. Founded in 1970 as the magazine of the then Young Liberals, it has often published articles critical of the party leadership, in particular over the Liberal Party's debacle...
- Henry GeorgeHenry GeorgeHenry George was an American writer, politician and political economist, who was the most influential proponent of the land value tax, also known as the "single tax" on land...
- A Man's A Man for A' ThatA Man's A Man for A' That"Is There for Honest Poverty", commonly known as "A Man's a Man for A' That", is a 1795 Scots song by Robert Burns, famous for its expression of egalitarian ideas of society, which may be seen as anticipating the ideas of liberalism that arose in the 18th century, and those of socialism which arose...
- The InternationaleThe InternationaleThe Internationale is a famous socialist, communist, social-democratic and anarchist anthem.The Internationale became the anthem of international socialism, and gained particular fame under the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1944, when it was that communist state's de facto central anthem...